Hands-On: LG Spectrum for Verizon

Between the million phones that have been announced here at CES 2012, it’s hard for one to really stand out. Of course, having 4G/LTE certainly doesn’t hurt and if you needed yet another option for Verizon, you may be interested in the LG Spectrum.

The LG Spectrum is essentially the LG Nitro HD for Verizon. Sporting a large 4.5 True HD IPS display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 8 megapixel camera on the rear, 1.3 megapixel camera on the front, and Android Gingerbread running the show. LG’s display technology is some of the finest of all the land, as the True HD display panels are truly stunning but some may be wooed by the likes of Samsung’s Super AMOLED HD on the Galaxy Nexus and we couldn’t blame you for that one.

The layout of the Spectrum is classic LG. Simple, yet boring — Simply boring. That said, one of the few things that differentiates itself from the Nitro is the battery cover and some may like it. Some definitely won’t. The battery cover is all plastic and the second you touch it, you’ll notice that this thing can pick up fingerprints like nothing else. The shiny plastic has a textured design behind it, giving it a nice look but it has a smooth in-hand feel. If we had to choose between the Spectrum and the Nitro as far as in-hand feel is concerned, we’d go with the latter, but that doesn’t make the Spectrum a bad phone in any way.

Overall, the LG Spectrum looks like it will fall in line with Verizon’s great portfolio of LTE devices that continues to grow. It you’re looking for something that people will notice when you take it out of your pocket, you won’t find that here. You’ll find a phone that does everything you’d want it to do and look great at the same time, without the looks from the people around you wondering what it is.